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Thursday, 9 June 2016

Snowboard Showdown by Matt Christopher

Synopsis:

Out-of-control competition leads to disaster. When Freddie
Ruiz and his brother, Dondi, compete, it's like two mutts wrestling over the
same bone-neither one is willing to give an inch. Unfortunately for Freddie,
older, stronger, better-looking Dondi usually comes out on top in every
contest. Except in one area: snowboarding. Here, Freddie is clearly king of the
halfpipe. So when Dondi finally pushes Freddie too far, Freddie cooks up a
snowboard showdown to make Dondi look foolish and himself the star. But will
Dondi take the bait, or will he somehow turn the tables on his brother yet
again?

The
book is full of conflict and competition sure to entertain young readers, but I
did have some concerns with as to whether or not I could recommend it.

There
are 2 storylines that drive this book:

1. Freddie’s competition and rivalry with
his brother Dondi.

2. Freddie trying to impress a girl.

There
is a lot of anger and fighting in this book between the brothers, and the
conclusion seems to be that this is normal between brothers. I don’t think that’s
great advice.

Freddie
desired to impress a girl whom his brother Dondi has taken an interest in, and
Freddie will do whatever he sees necessary to accomplish this.

You
can’t expect great maturity from a young guy in grade 7, but Freddie did not
prove to be a great example for the kids reading this book I don’t think.

There
are some redeemable aspects to this book such as Freddie’s father being
involved in helping Freddie on his journey, the value of good friendship, and showing
initiative from kids to work hard for something.

Saying
all of this, I struggle with a recommendation. The book might connect with a
kid in grade 7, but having a heated rivalry between brothers and desiring a girl because she
looks good isn’t something I can recommend.

Author:

Matt Christopher is the writer young readers
turn to when they're looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. He is
the best-selling author of more than one hundred sports books for young
readers.